California FF

Q: Create a Contact in OSX Maverics with a range of phone numbers

I am a volunteer firefighter and receive my dispatches in text message form from a new number every incident.  I wanted these dispatches to all come to me under one contact so that they would have a common name, in my situation "DISPATCH", but more importantly, I wanted to be able to modify the ring tone and vibrate quality to make these messages stand out from the rest of my communications.

 

I searched online "how to create a contact with a range of numbers" and came up with the simple answer of "you cant".  Sorry, that's not good enough for me, so I pioneered a workaround for creating a contact with a range of numbers much more easily then manually adding each number into you phone or through your contacts app on your computer.

 

You will need:

Mac with contacts application

text editor

spread sheet application (I used Numbers)

 

Step 1: Create the contact

 

1.png

Fill in the fields that apply, for me I simply put DISPATCH in the company line and added a phone number. (made up for the tutorial)

3.png

Click Done and you have your contact.

 

Step 2: Modify the contact card

 

Drag and drop the contact card from your contacts application to your desk top.

4.png

The result will be a (.vcf) file.  Right click this file and select "open with text editor."

5.png

 

You will now see this:

6.png

Highlight the row that starts with TEL and copy it. (Command + C)

 

Next open up your spread sheet application, I used Numbers.  Edit the blank spread sheet to look like this:

7.png

You want 2 columns and as many rows as you have numbers.  Paste the line of text from your text editor in the first column and paste the changing portion of the number in the second column.  For example, my dispatch uses a 10 digit number.  1(AAA)BBB-XXX.  The XXX is the variable, it changes every time.  The XXX is the part of the number you want to put in column 2.

8.png

You can use Numbers to create consecutive numbers by adding 2 rows of consecutive numbers and then dragging the column down.  Column 1 make sure and drag down the same information, not consecutive.  End result should look like this:

9.png

Column 1 is all the same, while column 2 displays consecutive numbers.

 

(Command + A) select all, (Command + C) Copy.

 

Go back to your text editor and paste the information you just copied right under the original line of text we borrowed earlier.

You should now see something like this:

10.png

Don't mind the spaces in the numbers you pasted.  They will not affect your contact.  Now, save this file.

 

Step 3: Replace the contact


Delete the original contact in you contacts application and double click this new one you have created, it is on your desk top.  It will ask you if you want to add it to your contacts and click yes. 

11.png

Now open the contact in your contacts list and see all of the numbers that are listed under that contact.  SUCCESS.

 

Moral of the story:  Dont take, "its not possible" as an answer.  This took me 15 minutes to accomplish when it could have taken me hours to manually input every number.  My dispatch contact has 400 numbers, that should last me a while!

OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Feb 25, 2014 1:00 PM

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Q: Create a Contact in OSX Maverics with a range of phone numbers

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  • Helpful answers

  • by California FF,

    California FF California FF Feb 25, 2014 1:20 PM in response to California FF
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 25, 2014 1:20 PM in response to California FF

    I should also include proof that the spaces dont matter once inported into your phone.  Here is a screen shot of this contact from my phone.

    12.PNG

    Not sure why, but they import in a random order instead of being consecutive.  Strange, but it wont affect the functionality of having all of the numbers in the same contact.

  • by Lost & Confused,

    Lost & Confused Lost & Confused Oct 30, 2014 7:56 PM in response to California FF
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Oct 30, 2014 7:56 PM in response to California FF

    Genius! Thank you so much! I'm no fireman, but I am on call as a waste water collection system operator and I have the exact dispatching scheme, receiving a new number in sequence on every call. Now I can assign a common ring tone to emergencies alerts! Thanks again!

  • by xoAnna,

    xoAnna xoAnna Nov 2, 2014 10:24 PM in response to California FF
    Level 1 (17 points)
    Safari
    Nov 2, 2014 10:24 PM in response to California FF

    Thank you for explaining how to do this! The screen shots are especially really helpful being the visual person that I am! Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for taking the time out to describe how to do this! I’ve been fumbling around for awhile in need of a resolution and happily now have a understandable work-around!

     

    A million thanks!

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Nov 3, 2014 12:56 PM in response to California FF
    Level 9 (70,061 points)
    iTunes
    Nov 3, 2014 12:56 PM in response to California FF

    If you would mark your 2nd post as solved, you might help more people.

  • by axforts,

    axforts axforts Mar 11, 2015 2:44 PM in response to California FF
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 11, 2015 2:44 PM in response to California FF

    Hello,

     

    I too am a FF. I did this for my department adding the range 000-999. After I imported the contact, contacts froze, and now I cannot reopen the application contacts, not even to check any other contact. It just freezes (shows as not responding in activity monitor).

     

    I tried rebooting, no avail.

     

    Is there a way to delete this one contact cards (terminal command or somewhere in the library folder) to restore my contacts.app without losing all my contacts?

     

    Alex

  • by axforts,

    axforts axforts Mar 11, 2015 3:18 PM in response to axforts
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 11, 2015 3:18 PM in response to axforts

    Forgive me- I tried to edit the post and couldnt find the edit button.

     

    I managed to delete it from my iPhone and/or iCloud.com and rebooting fixed the crash/hang.

     

    However, I tried remaking it with only 500 numbers (instead of 1000), and the app hangs every time I open that contact card, or switch to a different contact card (hangs by minutes..) on my iPhone it works fine.

     

    Does this type of contact hang on your systems as well when opening/closing the card?

  • by sheesh,

    sheesh sheesh Nov 1, 2015 12:26 PM in response to axforts
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 1, 2015 12:26 PM in response to axforts

    I did not try to replicate this problem, but it may be that the contact card is just not meant to hold that much info. 

     

    Here's the iCloud limits - they might not apply to contacts on your computer, but oh well it's a clue (from iCloud: Limits for Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, and Bookmarks - Apple Support)

    "Maximum size of a contact card: 256 KB

    Maximum size of a contact photo: 224 KB

    Maximum size of a contact group: 256 KB"